Getting to Know Governments

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Getting to Know Governments - An Overview
Introduction to Components of Government Systems (1st 9 weeks)

Grade/Subject: 6th or 7th grade Social Studies
School: Simpson & Daniell
Email: Laura.Barnes@cobbk12.org Sarah.Kietzman@cobbk12.org
Strategies: Cornell notes, Venn Diagram, stations, cubing, RAFT, metaphor musem, poster, exit tickets, quiz
Summary: Students will be introduced to "role of citizen", "distribution of power", and "types of democracy" words for the 7th grade govenrment standards through notes, a reading, and graphic organizer. After learning the basics of each, students will be choosing stations according to interest that expands on the understanding of the basic concepts.

Standards SS7CG1 (SS6CG1) The student will compare and contrast various forms of government.
a. Describe the ways government systems distribute power: unitary, confederation, and federal.
b. Explain how governments determine citizen participation: autocratic, oligarchic, and democratic.
c. Describe the two predominant forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential.

Assessments
  • Observation of stations (informal assessment during activity- formative assessment)
  • Exit ticket (contructed response- formative assessment)
  • Organizer & Notes (contructed response/informal- formative assessment)
  • Cubing Activity (performance assessment- summative assessment)
  • Metaphor Museum (performance assessment- summative assessment)
  • Government Posters (performance assessment- summative assessment)
  • Government RAFTs (performance assessment- summative assessment)

Essential questions
  • How does the role of citizen impact quality of life in a country?
  • How does the distribution of power impact efficiency of government in a country?
  • How are parliamentary and presidential democracies similar? Different?


Resources

Flexible Grouping/Independent
  • Students will be working independently for the taking of the Cornell Notes and the reading of the presidential and parliamentary democracy.
  • For the stations, students will be working collaboratively to complete activities.

Differentiation Plan for Gifted Learners
  • Product:Students will be creating different products based on the different stations.
  • Interest: Studnets will be able to choose what station they want to go to based on what information is being assessed at that station.
  • Learning Style: Students will be able to choose what station to go to based on on learning styles


Higher Order Thinking Skills
  • Create: Students will be creating a poster using the definitions of role of citizen words, students will create questions for a cube about presidential and parliamentary democracies.
  • Analyze: Students will be analzying informtion given in the cubes and the relationship of the goverment system to the metaphor
  • Synthesize: Summarize information about the differnent levels of government/roles of citizen and write a RAFT, students doing the cubing station will have an opportunity to create thier own cube on presidential and parliamentary if time permits.
  • Evaluate: Students will evaluate information given on cubes.

Lesson Plan (based on a 50 minute class period)

45 minutes
 Students will be taking Cornell notes on the models of power distribution in governments and the role of the citizen in the governments.
10 minutes
 Students complete an exit ticked where they choose either power distribution or role of the citizen and write a free response about the three key vocabulary words.
25 minutes
 Students will read and annotate (underline, highlight, write margin notes, draw pictures etc.) the reading about parliamentary and presidential democracies.
15 minutes
 After the reading students will create a Venn diagram (or appropriate compare and contrast graphic organizer) that effectively compares and contrasts the presidential and parliamentary democracies.
5 minutes
 Students will complete and exit ticket that argues which type of democracy is better with appropriate justification.
10 minutes
 Students will be introduced to the stations:
  • CUBING station: Students should roll each cube at least 3 times and discuss the answers in thier group. Students should record the answers on a seperate sheet of paper. If time permits, studnets should use the blank cube template to complete a cube on presidential and parliamentary democracies.
  • RAFT station: Students should be given the handout on RAFTs. It is up to the teacher whether studnets will be able to use computers to type or if it needs to be handwritten.
  • METAPHOR MUSEUM station: Please refer to handout Government Systems-Creating a Metaphor Museum.doc.
50
minutes
 Students will work in class on chosen stations. Some work may need to be completed at home.
50
minutes
 Celebration of learning: students share products. Government Systems Quiz. Ticket out the door: 3-2-1